A Cool Night for a Beer

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="320" caption="Dave and Oyuna at the Ice Bar"][/caption]

Saturday night in Ulaanbaatar. I had just returned from Nukht, about 20 minutes drive out of town, where the bank had held a planning session. About 7:30 I found myself with nothing much to do except watch TV and watch the washing dry so thought I would head over to Dave's Place for a bite to eat and a pint of "X". I hadn't been there for a while so thought it would be good to catch up on a few things  - like what had been happening for the last three months.

So, enter Thomo, from a -36 degree evening outside. I had walked to the pub and heaven's it was cold. Entered, undid coat and Dave says "we are just going out, come with us". Thomo does up coat again and we headed out into the cold again to the other side of the Railway line and a party around an Ice Bar. The party was hosted by some of the guys from Ivanhoe Mines. There were two half gers ((small sized gers)) there, as well as a number of 44 gallon drums burning wood. Food was inside.

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="320" caption="Thomo after his stupidly walking home - the red is real as is the ice!"][/caption]

Naturally we stood outside, fully rugged up, drinking beer and freezing (but all being too tough to be the first to go back inside). Remember, it is -36 degrees celsius. The beer was kept chilled in a large insulated container with ice in it -- the ice and the container designed to keep the beer chilled for drinking, but to prevent it freezing. No insulated beer can holders (stubby holders) needed here.

'twas a good party though, great food (which I believe was made by Joel of the UB Deli), top music and a great time. The photo above is Dave and Oyuna from Dave's place standing by the Ice Bar. I could not take it any clearer on the phone camera as my hands were shaking too much from the cold.

When Your Snot Freezes

I've been away for a couple of weeks. Had a small medical problem that needed checking in Hong Kong - more on Hong Kong later.
Winter has settled into to Mongolia now - last night it was -25 and whilst the apartment is toasty warm (actually, I am lucky, I am in a new apartment so can control, somewhat, the heat coming from the central heating), outside it is, well, a little chilly.

I had experienced cold weather before, living for three years in Norway ("morn, morn, ikke sant?") and the Norwegians have a very sage saying, "there is no such thing as bad weather, simply bad clothing". They use this as justification for being out and about in any weather. Many of you can recall the pictures on television of the Winter Olympics in Lillehammer a few years ago and the image that flashed around the world of a number of Norwegians, sat together in the snow with a fire, drinking coffee and picnicing in the sunshine whilst the temperature was -20.

I have sat outside in -20 temperatures in the sunshine with Norwegians drinking beer. However, I can feel that winter here is going to be a little different. Today, something that has never happened to me before happened to me. I walked outside on my way to do the shopping and ....

My snot froze in my nose.

A most unusual experience. I've had my breath freeze in my beard before (that happens around -12) but never have I had the snot in my nose freeze. Sort of makes the nose feel rather funny.

Of course, walking back from the supermarket and the delicatessen my shopping also froze in my shopping bags.

And this is only early December. Last January the temperature range here for one day was -37 to -30 ... hmm, wonder what freezes at -37 - everything else on you is well frozen by then.